


and the world opened wide

by LuluTen



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Dancing, M/M, background azusakyo/azuguy and hisohoma, background fuyuki + the rest of fuyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:41:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27427342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuluTen/pseuds/LuluTen
Summary: Tasuku stepped carefully, slowly approaching him. “May I?” He took his hand, the same one that lovingly brushed those pale blue buds, and bowed slightly, pressing a kiss on the back of it.__a short piece for day 4&5 of TasuTsumu week (rain, hydrangea, secrets, garden)
Relationships: Takatoo Tasuku/Tsukioka Tsumugi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42
Collections: TasuTsumu Week 2020





	and the world opened wide

Tasuku hated this, hated the spectacle and the noise and the people milling back and forth, hated being strung up as an ornament or some beautiful symbol of growth. He was a prince, sure, but the stubborn one, the stoic and stolid one, the bulky and awkward one. No one reached beyond that static image. No one tried. Someone would inevitably approach him with a placid smile and shake his hand. It was all exchanging pleasantries, surface level inquiries on so-and-so’s daughter or the bountiful growing season or the quaintest little tea shop that you simply _must_ visit, just so they could gush in private about meeting the prince. Perhaps someone else would avoid him, sparing a glance at his approaching figure just to skitter away as he came close. Even the knights would keep a distance, careful to hold back their blows and words, schooling themselves into a stiff discipline, careful to protect his supposed pride. There’s a reason why he began to train by himself. It was simply, sadly, more productive for everyone that way. 

At least this would be different. Maybe, if he obscured his identity well enough, he could just enjoy himself without worrying about frightened staff or foreign princes. Maybe he could slip away from the heavy expectations thrust onto him. It wasn’t hard to convince his brother to host a masquerade this year instead of the typical operatic affair. Fuyuki thought it could be fun to play with an air of mystery, and Tasuku? Tasuku planned on slipping into the quietest part of the castle and enjoying some peace. 

* * *

He picked something a little uncharacteristic, a diagonally sloping mask- deep green with little embroidered flowers, and parted his hair to the side. He strapped on an old sword and walked closer to the glowing banquet hall. Tonight, if anyone asked, he was simply another knight. It was the simplest disguise. He would enjoy one night for himself before returning to his normal duties. 

The banquet hall was extravagantly interspersed with glowing lights and bunches of flowers practically bursting in full bloom, walls practically vibrating with a hum of collective energy. The candles gleamed as twirling couples laughed under their soft glow. He passed an ethereal man with long silver hair coaxing another gruffer blonde into sharing a dance. Everyone seemed in high spirits, and he was happy to see it. 

* * *

He turned the corner, letting the soft vibrattos fade away into the background. Beautiful as it was, most would stray away from the gardens tonight in favour of the shining halls. He closed his eyes for a moment and absorbed the light floral scent clinging to the air. When he opened them, he caught sight of another man, fingers brushing lightly against a drooping bud. He was subtly beautiful, like the night itself, with a delicate silver mask framing dark hair, a soft portrait framed by the sweet moonlight. This man, whoever he was, felt different. Perhaps it would be fine to spend time with another after all. 

“Pardon me.” His voice rang almost too loud through the silent courtyard.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t think anyone else would come out here.” The man withdrew his hand, bringing it up behind his neck. 

“It’s no trouble. You’re free to enjoy yourself however you like. Beautiful, isn’t it?” It was like he carried an unseen gravity, like he was a magnet that pulled him in. Even if he wanted to, Tasuku couldn’t look away. 

“Yes, it really is. I love it here, being surrounded by nature like this. I’m a gardener myself. My name’s Tsumugi... and you are?”

Tasuku stepped carefully, slowly approaching him. “May I?” He took his hand, the same one that lovingly brushed those pale blue buds, and bowed slightly, pressing a kiss on the back of it. “I’m Tasuku… a knight. Nice to meet you.” 

Tsumugi laughed, taking his hand back, and gestured to a stone bench near the fountain. “Care to take a seat?” 

“Sure.” Tasuku sat on the right side, leaving the side closer to the flowers free, and spread out a handkerchief beside him. “So, are you from around here?” 

Tsumugi settled next to him. “Oh, no, I’m just visiting. I’d love to have a garden like this someday. What about you?” 

“I’m local. Can’t say I’m used to all the glitter here though. It gets a little suffocating sometimes, you know? That’s kinda why I came here. I was hoping to get away from some of it. Not that I mind your presence, of course. It’s nice to talk to someone too.” 

“I see. It’s definitely peaceful. Will you be here for the other nights?” 

“I think I can make time for you.”

They talked under a canopy of stars for hours, for hours that felt like minutes and days and lifetimes all at once. They shared stories and laughter and sweet silence until the hum of the masquerade began to quiet. He felt closer to him in just these few moments than he had with anyone else before. Perhaps he could stay as “Tasuku the knight” for just a little longer. Perhaps the mask was a good choice after all. 

* * *

As the days went by, the festivities never truly dwindled. It was mostly the upper class left now, those who could afford to stay for long, easing through crowds and picking their way through looping dances. To his left, a man with magenta hair was leading, or was it dragging, his partner through a rather exuberant waltz, slightly off beat yet somehow perfectly in sync. He stayed for a moment, violet mask affixed tightly to wandering eyes, as he dealt with some obligatory political affairs. 

The harvest in Zafra was lower this year and he really must tell his brother about it and- he could faintly hear the pitter-pattering of rain outside. Perhaps yesterday was their last day together. Perhaps Tsumugi was gone, like a spirit, like the moon, like the night sky that pooled in his eyes. Before he could process it, his current partner, a tired looking man with dark hair, was ushered away by that same man, the ethereal one with the blonde partner, he saw on the first night. Perhaps they would dance too. It wasn’t his place to speculate, or rather, he had better things to do than idly gossip about his guests. 

Tasuku ran through the hallways, darting through the emptiest corridors and hidden paths, to reach the garden. He needed to reach him before it was too late, before the illusion was shattered, before Tsumugi would treat him with the same indifferent distance as everyone else. It was still raining, fat droplets of water hovering in the sky before gently falling into the garden’s embrace. It was their last day. 

“Oi, you’ll catch a cold if you sit in the rain like that.” Tsumugi was sitting on their bench, hair dripping little streams of water down his soft face. 

“I wasn’t sure if you were coming tonight.”

“I could say the same to you, but here we are.”

Tasuku stepped into the garden, approaching him carefully with soft steps, as if scared he would disappear with one wrong move. 

“Hey, Tsumugi… would you still have spent this time with me if things were different? If I had lied to you?” He couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

Tsumugi's voice was soft. It was always so soft, just like the rest of him, and so very sweet. “I’m sure you have your reasons. I can tell who you are just by talking to you, even with the mask, and my feelings wouldn’t change. You have a beautiful soul, you know.” 

“I could say the same thing myself.” Tasuku extended an arm towards him. “Care for a dance? Tonight’s the last night, and it would be a shame to attend a ball and never get a chance to dance.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

He was never more grateful for those compulsory dancing lessons in his youth. They twirled around the flowers softly, slowly, absorbing the strumming of harps from a faraway world outside. The rain overhead, now more of a mist, came down with a gentleness that surrounded them like a galaxy of stars. 

“You’re so warm.” Tsumugi was shivering slightly, curling up towards his chest. 

Tasuku sighed. “You shouldn’t have waited out here in the rain. Come on, let’s go inside.” 

“Yes, yes, your highness, whatever you say.”

“Don’t call me that.” He stilled for a moment, turning to look at him. “Wait, you knew who I was?” Beside him, Tsumugi started laughing.

"A prince, tired of false company, decides to hide away in the quietest part of the castle while still keeping up appearances by attending the ball. Sound familiar? There's a reason why we both ended up here, after all."

"You said you were a gardener!"

"I _am_ a gardener. It's my favourite hobby." Tsumugi let out a soft sneeze. 

Tasuku shugged off his jacket and draped it across his shoulders. He grabbed his hand and began to escort him faster. "That still doesn't explain how you knew for sure."

“You’re not exactly subtle, Tachan.”

“...Don’t call me that either.”

**Author's Note:**

> It's a little quick and dirty, but I felt like I needed to write more for tstm week! I have one piece, more polished than this one in some ways, left to post as well. They're so... sweet. Originally I had one idea about a masquerade, an off-shoot from thinking about Hotel Compass, and one idea about the rain, taking inspiration more from the anime etude, but somehow it became this amalgamation instead. Even after they amalgamated, I was tempted to write about Tsumugi as the embodiment of the moon and Tasuku as the embodiment of the Earth but I ditched that idea for a more traditional idea of royalty. Maybe I'll come back to it some day, who knows. My other works are not supposed to be tstm, but somehow I wrote these two before I knew what happened. There's always room in my heart for these acting dummies.


End file.
